uring April 2002  we were back in Munich again, just a normal weekend really. We went to the Frühlingsfest at the Theresienwiese, and generally just had a look around the City. We have obviously been to all of the places shown before, having lived in the area for a number of years, but we decided that we should update our photo's of the City. So here they are!

Frühlingsfest at Theresienwiese

The site of Munich's annual beer festival, the notorious Oktoberfest, the Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival) and of the very hip Christmas market (the Tollwood) is only a 10-minute walk from the Hauptbahnhof or a single stop away by subway (U-4 or U-5). The enormous exhibition ground is named after Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, who celebrated her marriage to the Bavarian crown prince Ludwig - later Ludwig I - here in 1810. The accompanying agricultural fair was such a success that it became an annual event. Beer was served then as now, but what began as a night out for the locals has become a 16-day international bonanza at the end of September and the beginning of October, attracting more than 6 million people each year (it qualifies as an Oktober fest by ending the first Sunday in October)
 

Theresienwiese...

Overlooking the Theresienwiese is a 19th-century hall of fame featuring busts of numerous popular figures of the time, one of the last works of Ludwig I - and a monumental bronze statue of the maiden Bavaria, more than 100 feet high. The statue is hollow, and 130 steps take you up into the braided head for a view of Munich through Bavaria's eyes

Korina Brenk

Munich Rathaus & the Frauenkirche

Marienplatz , dedicated to the patron of the city, whose golden statue atop a huge column (the Mariensäule) stands in the center of the square, is the heart of the Altstadt, or Old City. On its north side is the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) built in 19th-century Gothic style. Each day at 11am, and also at noon and 5pm in the summer, the Glockenspiel on the facade stages an elaborate performance, including a miniature tournament, with enameled copper figures moving in and out of the archways. Since you're already at the Rathaus, you may wish to climb the 55 steps to the top of its tower (an elevator is available) for a good overall view of the city center. Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall), with its plain Gothic tower, is to the right. It was reconstructed in the 15th century, after being destroyed by fire

The Neue Rathaus

The Alte & Neue Rathaus at Marienplatz and Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church)

Munich's oldest church (1180), known locally as Old Peter, has turned over a new leaf, and it's a gold one at that. The white-and-gray interior has been decorated with gilded baroque accents and trompe l'oeil medallions. It contains a series of murals by Johann Baptist Zimmermann, but nothing tops the attraction of the bizarre relic in the second chapel on the left: the gilt-covered and gem-studded skeleton of St. Mundita. From its resting place on a cushion, it stares at you with two false eyes in its skull. Jewels cover the mouth of its rotten teeth, quite a contrast to the fresh roses usually kept in front of the black-and-silver coffin. The church also has a tall steeple, which you can climb. Colored circles on the lower platform tell you whether the climb is worthwhile: If the circle is white, you can see as far as the Alps

Theatiner Church St. Kajetan & Feldherrnhall

On the west of the Feldherrnhal is the copper-domed Theatiner Church. It was built in Italian high-baroque style after the San Andrea del Valle church in Rome and was designed by Agostino Barelli. He also led the construction of the church from 1663 to 1669. His successor, Enrico Zuccalli finished the 71 meters high dome in 1690 and added two towers, which originally weren't planned. The current facade in late rococo style was only finished in 1768 by François Cuvilliés. The two small towers catch the eye with their curled shapes, and together with the towers of the Frauenkirche and the Peterskirche, they define much of the Munich skyline

The building which catches the eye most is the Feldherrnhall, which sometimes makes the Odeonplatz look like an Italian square. The Feldherrnhall consists of three arches, with at the entrance two Bayern lions. The building was designed in 1841 by Friedrich von Gärtner after the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy on request of Ludwig I in honour of Bayern generals

Heading north from the Theatinerkiche on Ludwigsstraße, you eventually came to the Siegestor ("Victory Gate"), near the south end of the English Garden. Also know as the Victory Arch, it was built in 1852 in honour of the Bavarian army

Robert at the Siegestor `Victory Gate`

Around the Univerisitat

St. Lukas Kirche
 

The Müllersches Volksbad and the River Isar

Friedensengel - Angel of Peace

The impressive Angel of Peace monument is located at the downtown end of Prinzregentenstrasse near the Isar embankment. This huge monument commemorates the twenty-five years of peace that followed the war of 1870-71

Around the Hofgarten

Bayerische Staatskanzlei - Bavarian State Chancellory

On the east of the Feldherrnhal is the Hofgarten, a Renaissance court garden dating from Duke Maximilian I's time (1613-1617). It is laid out after an Italian formal garden and features a central temple (Diana) crowned by a doomed roof with a copy of a bronze figure symbolizing Bavaria

The Residenz

When one of the Bavarian royals said that he was going to the castle, he could have meant any number of places, especially if he was Ludwig II. But if he said that he was going home, he could only be referring to the Residenz. This enormous palace, with a history almost as long as that of the Wittelsbach family, was the official residence of the rulers of Bavaria from 1385 to 1918. Added to and rebuilt over the centuries, the complex is a conglomerate of various styles. Depending on how you approach the Residenz, you might first see a German Renaissance hall (the western facade), a Palladian palace (on the north), or a Florentine Renaissance palace (on the south facing Max-Joseph-Platz)

Odeonsplatz & Maximillianstraße

König Maximilian II wanted a crowning glory for the end of his Maximilianstraße - Munich's noblest shopping street. This monumental building, built by the architect Friedrich Bürklein between 1857 and 1874, with several changes and improvements to the orginal plans, in a new style mixing elements of english and dutch gothic and italian high renaissance, has since 1876 been the home of the "Maximilianeum" Endowment for gifted students. Since 1949 the frount part of the building has been the seat of the bavarian parliament
 

Odeonsplatz, Munich's most beautiful square, near the Residenz (Royal Palace) and the Theatinerkirche. Adjoining the Residenz is the restored Nationaltheater, home of the acclaimed Bavarian State Opera and the Bavarian National Ballet

The rear of the Neue Rathaus

Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Lady)

When the smoke cleared from the 1945 bombings, only a fragile shell remained of Munich's largest church, which is affectionately known as Liebfrauenkirche. Workmen and architects who restored the 15th-century Gothic cathedral used whatever remains they could find in the rubble, along with modern innovations. The overall effect of the rebuilt Frauenkirche is strikingly simple, yet dignified. The twin towers, or Liebfrauendom, which remained intact with their strange early Gothic onion domes, have been the city's landmark since they were added to the church in 1525. Instead of the typical flying buttresses, huge props on the inside support the edifice and separate the side chapels. Twenty-two simple octagonal pillars support the Gothic vaulting over the nave and chancel. Entering the main doors at the cathedral's west end, you first notice no windows (actually, except for the tall chancel window, they're hidden by the enormous pillars). According to legend, the devil was delighted at the notion of hidden windows and stamped in glee at the stupidity of the architect--you can still see the strange footlike mark called "the devil's step" in the entrance hall. In the chapel directly behind the high altar is the cathedral's most interesting painting: The Protecting Cloak, a 1510 work by Jan Polack, showing the Virgin holding out her majestic robes to shelter all humankind. The collection of tiny figures beneath the cloak includes everyone from the pope to peasants

Karlstor & Karlsplatz

A good way to visit the inner city is by starting at the Karlstor (Karls gate). This gate was part of a large 14th century city wall which replaced the smaller city wall from the 12th century. The city wall was destroyed at around 1800, and the Karlstor became the center of a new square, Karlsplatz (a.k.a. Stachus). Two buildings were built next to the Karlstor, forming a symmetrical halve circle, symbolizing the opening of the city towards the outside. Of the original five gates, only three remain: the Karlstor, Isartor and Sendlinger Tor

Karlsplatz

All photographs were taken in Munich - Germany on the 27th & 28th of April 2002.